Bread-fastening machine



O. F-. ROHWEDDER BREAD FASTENING MACHINE Feb. 5, 1929. v 1,700,854

Filed Jan. 26. 1928 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO F. ROHWEDDER, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

BREAD-FASTENING MACHINE.

Application filed January 26, 1928. Serial No. 248,613.

My invention relates to improvements in bread fastening machines.

The objects of my invention are:

1. To provide an automatic machine for inserting staples lengthwise in asliced loaf of bread to retain the slices in their original position.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of my device showing theconnecting rod in part in dotted lines, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of mydevice; Figure 3 is a detail showing the position of a staple ready forinsertion into the bread; Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the pusherblock; Fig. 5 is an end elevation at the right end of Figure 1.

My machine comprises a preferably hollow cast frame, 58, having a base,58, slidingly mounted upon the take-off apron, 77, of a bread slicingmachine between guides, 76, with a set screw, 75, to lock the frame inits desired position. The casting, 58, is pref-.1.

erably formed with a box-shaped portion having a slot. 56', cut in oneside thereof to permit the movement therethrough of the link, 56, andhaving a lateral extension united to the base to provide a mounting fora drive shaft, 54, and carrying lugs, 60', in which a pushrod, 60, isslidingly mounted. The upper face of the frame is cut away to provideslide-ways, 58", upon which a pusher block, 57, is slidingly mounted.The sides of the frame are united for a part of their length to form abed, 58. This bed forms a bottom for the magazine, 71, which rests uponthe frame at the sides of the slide-ways, 58". The rear end, 71, of themagazine is cut away as shown by. the dotted line in Figure 2, to permitthe pusher block to enter the magazine for a short distance. The frontend piece of the magazine, 71", has small slots, 73, cut on oppositesides thereof to receive the ends of the staple, 33, but the low-erendof the front end, 71", of the magazine does not extend clear to the bed,58, and a slight opening is left through which the staple may travel inpassing out of the magazine. The magazine has lugs, 70', extending fromthe lower portion thereof by which it can be fastened to the frame, 58,by thumb screws, 70. The staples are piled one upon another in themagazine, the lower staple resting upon the bed, 58 and the front end ofthe pusher block, 57, in which a slight recess is formed of a depthcorresponding to the thickness of a staple.

The frame, 58, is provided with forward extensions in which is mounted ashaft, 64, which bears upon one end of a spiral gear, 62, and upon itsopposite end a spur gear, 72, with a roller, 63, united to the shaft,64, to rotate between the extensions.

A similar roller, 65, is secured upon the shaft, 66, which is mounted inthe upper portion of the frame extensions. Bearing plates, 69, aresecured upon the upper face of the extensions and are provided withcoiled compression springs, 68, which bear upon suitable bearingmembers, 68', and act to hold the'rollers, and 63, in juxtaposition. Aspiral gear, 62, is mounted upon a vertical shaft, 61, and in mesh withthe spiral gear,

62'. The shaft, 61, may be driven by any suitable means and when sodriven. will actu ate the spiral gears, and the motion of the lowershaft, 64, will be transmitted to the upper shaft, 66, by the spurgears, 72.

Another power shaft, 54, extends upwardly through the extended base andhas mounted upon its upper end a wheel, 55, to which the link 56, issecured by a crank pin, 56".

The opposite end of the link, 56, is pivotally connected at 56 to theunder side of the pusher block, 57, so that the revolution of the wheel,55, will cause the pusher block, 57, to travel reciprocatinglylongitudinally of the slide-ways, 58". v

The pusher block, 57, is provided with a notch, 57, at its forward edgewhich notch is adapted to engage the head of a staple, 33.

In the operation of my machine, the ma gazine," 71, is filled withstaples, 33, the lower one of which rests upon the bed, 58", and uponthe pusher block, 57.

As the power is applied and the shafts, 54 and 61, revolve, the crankpin carries the link forward and the pusher block travels forward alongits guides carrying with it the lowest staple which is driven forward bythe pusher'block to a point where the ends of the staple pass betweentherollers, 63 and 65,

and the staple is thenseized by the rollers and driven forward until thehead of the staple passes out between the rollers.

The staple will then be left projecting a short distance from the leafof bread and as the next loaf of bread is pushed into position, itpushes the first loaf outwardly and the staple is then driven theremainder of its length into the first loaf by the vertical Ill) ' endof the rod, 60, which is slidingly mounted in the lugs, 60, and has itsleft end as shown in Figure 1, doubly bent at rightangles.

A pusher arm, 59, has one end rigidly secur'ed to the pusher block, 57,and its opposite end adjustably secured to the rod, 60, so that as thepusher block travels forward, the arm, 59, will carry the rod, 60,forward the same distance that the pusher block travels It is obviousthat the form and proportions of various parts of my apparatus may bevaried to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of myinvention and the gear wheels, 72, may be omitted so that the upperroller, 65, may be a mere idler, provided sutliciently strong springs,68, are used to furnish the necessary tension to drive the staples intothe bread. Shafts, 61 and 54, may be driven by flexible drives of anykind, which will permit the forward or backward adjustment of thisentire appliance upon the take-off apron of the slicing machine.

In practice, I expect to use one of these machines at each end of theloaves of bread as they come from the slicing machine and the stapleswill be made of a length approximately two-thirds or three-fourths ofthe loaf of bread to be secured so that they will overlap substantiallyat the middle of the loaf.

I have shown and claimed a manually operable apparatus for the samepurpose in my eo-pending application Ser. No. 249,614 of even dateherewith, and therefore do not claim a manually operable apparatusherein.

I claim:

1. A staple driving machine comprising a frame, staple guide-ways formedtherein, a pusher block slidingly mounted in the frame in guidewaysadjacent the rear ends of the staple guide-ways, a pair of cooperatingfeed rolls mounted in the frame at. the forward end of the stapleguide-ways, and means for actuating said rolls.

2. A staple driving machine comprising a frame, staple guide-ways formedtherein, a pair of cooperating feed rolls mounted m the frame at theforward end of the staple guide- I frame. staple guide-ways formedtherein, a

pusher block slidingly mounted in the frame in guide-ays adjacent therear ends of the staple guide-ways, means for driving the pusher blocklongitudinally of the guideways. an auxiliary pusher rod slidinglymounted in the frame, and means connecting the auxiliary pusher rod withthe pusher block.

5. A staple driving machine comprising a frame, staple guide-ways formedtherein, a pair of cooperating feed rolls mounted in the frame at theforward end of the staple guide-ways, means for actuating said rolls,means for driving a staple along the guideways into contact with therolls, an auxiliary pusher rod slidingly mounted in the frame, and meansconnecting the auxiliary pusher rod with the staple driving means.

6. A staple driving machine comprising a frame, staple guide-ways formedtherein, a staple magazine secured upon the frame over the stapleguide-ways, a. pusher block slidingly mounted upon the frame in theguide ways adjacent the rear end of the magazine, means forreciprocating the pusher block lengthwise of the guide-ways, anauxiliary pusher rod slidingly mounted in the frame, and meansconnecting the auxiliary pusher rod with the pusher block.

In testimony whereof he affixes his signa- 7 ture.

orro F. ROHWEDDER.

